Jockey Willie Shoemaker was hired as pitchman for the project, recording TV commercials on horseback from the track's winner's circle to air regionally. In his opinion the Turf Club would be 'as important to Birmingham as Disney World was to Orlando.' 1. Georgia's Dogwood Stables brought as many as 30 horses to the Club's stables.Įd Hall, director of the Birmingham Convention and Vistors Bureau reported that the project was expected to bring $250 million to the area in its first year, creating 1,000 jobs and triggering investments in hotels and restaurants. In addition to video-equipped indoor and outdoor grandstands, the clubhouse featured several lounges and an 800-seat white tablecloth restaurant dubbed 'The Ascot'. Architects for the project were Ewing, Cole, Cherry & Parksy, Inc. Other investors included Judy Thompson of Thompson Tractor Company, who served as the Turf Club's general manager and Sidney Smyer Jr.Īpproved in 1985 and backed in part by municipal bonds for infrastructure to the site, the 275,000 square-foot teal-accented clubhouse and other facilities were constructed over the next two years by Robins & Morton at a cost of $85 million. Legislation making the enterprise possible was pushed through by John Rogers (earning him the honor of having the entrance road named for him) and Fred Horn. The city sited the project on a parcel on 7,000 acres of newly-annexed territory northeast of downtown, accessible from the recently-opened I-459 corridor. The project was intended as a showcase for thoroughbred horse racing in the Deep South, expected to draw crowds from neighboring states for high-stakes parimutuel betting. Architect's renderings of the Turf Club grandstand and clubhouse building

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